


Christmas Eve Dinner

by grrriliketigers



Category: The Closer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 11:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1897323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grrriliketigers/pseuds/grrriliketigers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Willie Rae hangs out with Brenda’s friend Sharon. Interpret the word ‘friend’ however you like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Eve Dinner

Sharon was perched on the stool watching Willie Rae chopping vegetables. "Are you sure I can't help?" 

"That's alright, hon." 

"I'm not hopeless in the kitchen like Brenda." Sharon smiled. "I did raise two children successfully to adulthood and mostly on my own." 

"Do you know how to make sweet potato casserole?" 

"I... well, no." Sharon admitted, "but I have access to the internet." 

Willie Rae smiled at her. "Alright, pull up your stool." 

Sharon pulled up to the counter and Willie Rae pushed the ingredients over to her. "The recipe is on the sweet potato can." She winked. 

Sharon opened the can and set about her task. 

"I thought Brenda Leigh said you were married."

Sharon nodded. "I am technically. We separated when the kids were small." 

"How old are your kids now?" 

"Thirty three and thirty two." 

Willie Rae blinked, "good lord, why not just get divorced? It's common enough. Brenda Leigh does it like it's going out of style."

Sharon chuckled. "Well, we're catholic." Sharon shrugged. "We're not really supposed to get divorced - our parents would be mortified." 

"And your parents wouldn't rather you were happy?" Willie Rae shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry, hon. Just ignore me." 

"My parents don't mind that we're separated just to take that step and get divorced... my mother is very concerned with appearances. But she's great, I love my mother, I can put up with a few idiosyncrasies."

"Did you cook with your mother when you were little?" 

"No, not really. She didn’t like to cook.” Sharon tore open the bag of marshmallows. "Did Brenda cook with you when she was growing up?"

"No, she was too busy playing cops and robbers with her brothers." Willie Rae fondly remembered her feisty daughter as a child. "Sometimes her brother Jimmy cooked with me."

"I always cooked alone for my kids; some days it was my only quiet time." 

"The only time my kids were quiet were when they were asleep." Willie Rae chuckled. "Brenda Leigh especially. She was the smallest so she had the biggest voice to make up for it." 

"I believe that." Sharon grinned. 

"Brenda was a good kid though." Willie Rae remembered fondly. "She went her own way but she minded fairly well. I think she was afraid of the idea of getting into trouble." 

"That's no longer the case." Sharon chuckled. 

"Well, I think she learned that most of the time the consequences aren't that bad." 

Sharon nodded. "I admire that about her sometimes. She's not afraid to take risks. I can't think of any risks I've taken since college." 

"Well, you had babies to take care of."

"Yeah, and my husband took my share of the risks as well as his own." 

Willie Rae smiled sympathetically. 

"I have no regrets though; I'm a planner, not a risk taker." 

"I'm with you." Willie Rae nodded as Sharon stirred the sweet potato mixture in the casserole dish. 

"But Brenda sure makes it look easy." Sharon sighed thoughtfully. "You know what else admire about Brenda? She's so passionate about everything she does - she seems to always muster the same amount of enthusiasm for every case. She is very self-assured and she doesn't need anyone else to give her self-worth. She _really_ knows who she is." 

“That she does.” Willie Rae watched as Sharon painstakingly covered the casserole with mini marshmallows. “You don’t seem like the type who needs someone else for your self-worth.”

“By necessity,” Sharon chuckled, “I’ve been in IA for decades - and if I didn’t like myself I’d’ve had to find a new line of work a long time ago.” 

“Well, in any case, I can understand why you and Brenda Leigh are friends.” 

Sharon smiled fondly. “I think the sweet potato casserole is ready to go into the oven. Anything else you want me to do?”

“No, I’m just finishing up the pie and everything just has to cook." 

"There's a pineapple in the fridge I could cut up for us." Sharon suggested. 

Willie Rae grinned. "That sounds delicious."

Sharon set the pineapple on the cutting board and cut off the top. 

“Do you have any hobbies outside of work?”

Sharon looked up from her task. “Sometimes it can be hard to put work aside - because I have to file my reports within seventy-two hours of starting - my daughter is in a touring ballet company so I always go see her when she’s in town. I grew up doing ballet so I was really excited when Rosemary wanted to start.” 

“You must be very proud.” Willie Rae smiled. 

“I am.” Sharon nodded, “both of my kids followed their passions; I couldn’t ask for anything more.” 

Willie Rae picked up a slice of pineapple and bit into it. "And did you follow yours?" 

Sharon smiled. "Well, at the beginning I didn't think so. I was supposed to go to law school but I ended up on the force and I was mad that I never became a lawyer. I realized that I love my job; I do an important job and it's very fulfilling." 

"Brenda Leigh has talked quite a bit about you and your job these last couple years." 

"Don't believe a word of it." Sharon teased and they shared a conspiratorial chuckle. 

**

After dinner was finished Flynn and Provenza were talking football with Clay, Morales and Tao said their goodbyes and Sanchez and Gabriel were exchanging small gifts. 

Sharon touched Brenda's arm, drawing her attention. "You gettin' ready to head out?"

"Yes," Sharon nodded, "I just have to get the rest of my things from my office."

"Sorry about your plans."

Sharon shrugged, "not your fault." 

"Merry Christmas, Captain."

Sharon smiled, "merry Christmas, Chief."

Brenda watched Sharon leave before turning and almost running into Willie Rae. "Oh, mama, you startled me." 

"I like Sharon." 

Brenda nodded, "she's nice."

"It's a shame her plans were ruined but I'm glad you got to spend Christmas eve with her." 

"Hmm?" 

"I think she's very good for you and she cares about you very much." Willie Rae picked a bit of lint off Brenda's shoulder. "I'm glad you've found someone good and kind - I know everything that happened with Fritz was hard on you." 

Brenda sputtered, "yeah..." 

"Was Sharon able to make new flight arrangements for tonight or will she be joining us for Christmas eve and maybe morning?" 

Brenda beamed. It wasn't how she had planned to break Sharon to her parents but it went even smoother than she could have hoped - with Willie Rae at least. 

"I'll call her and ask."


End file.
